Bottle cooling unit



June 2, -1942. A.' E.1 LADEwlc-s BOTTLE COOLING UNIT Filed July 19, 1940 4'The 'present invention relates in Y improvements in equipment especially adapted Patented June 2, 3.942

miran. STATE s PATENT 'orales norms coouNc mur Arch-ic n. Lcacwic, Waukesha, wir. sppucsucrr .my 19, 1940, scrici Nc. 346,298 4 claims. (ci. en -104) general to for use ln bottling milk, fruit juices, or thelike, and relates more specifically to improvements in the construction and operation of apparatus for cooling or heating bottles or the like. A

An'obiect oi the invention is to provide animproveddbottle cooling or heating unit which is When receptacles such as milk bottles are deg livered in succession from an automatic bottle `washing machine, they are usually considerably above the milk temperature, and it the bottles are sent directlyf to the ller and cold milk ls deposited therein, the sudden 4contacting of thecold milk with the warmer bottles has an extremely `detrimental eilect on lthe cream'line, and some bottles are apt to break and thus result in waste of materials. The filler is'ordinarily y located relatively close to the washer in order to conserve space, and the discharge end ofA Vthe latter is usually connected to the inlet ofthe I Vformer by meansof a' slatted ,horizontally movable bottle conveyorwhich is adapted to rapidly l `transport the successive clean bottles from the washer outlet to the filler inlet. While the `bottle supporting surfaces of the conveyor slats may be clean and will not objectionably muss the clean bottles, the drum sprockets and other por- ,tions of such conveyors are relatively dirtyand dimcult to maintain free'from grease and :other filth. AIn order to cool the cleaned bottles after `i washing thereof, it has -heretofore been attempted to sprayv the successive bottles in the discharge standard bottle conveyors, now in use, any practical type of cooling assemblage should be K simple'in construction andeillcient in opera- 'L tion.

adapted for convenient and eiiicient cooperationwith` these existing systems, and should also be capable of automatically cooling the bottles to any desired low temperaturavwithout dirtylng the bottles and at negligiblecost. Whiledit is especially desirable to cool the bottles for` the reception of milk, it is sometimes desirable to heat the clean bottles, as when the receptacles are to be filled with hot` fruit juices or the like:

and a commercial co'oing unit should also be convertible into a heating unit.

It is therefore a more specific object of 4the present invention, to provide a new and useful bottle cooling or heating assemblage adapted to cooperate as a unit with a standard bottlelconend zone of the'washer housing, but this procel .fandwarm air, so that proper cooling cannot be effected. In order to1 properly cool the bottles,

L they should be sprayed with clean refrigerated water, and in order to reduce the cost of cooling it should be possible to Irecirculate the clean artificially`V cooled water throughthe sprays for use` on subsequent bottles. Although it has heretofore also been attemptedto cool the bottles while being transported by the ordinary slatted I conveyor directly from the washer to the 'tillen dure has been found impractical becausethese ".washer casings are usually kfilled with hot vapors veyor and which is capable of rapidly and' eectivelycooling or heating the successive bottles to any desired extent without destroying their d cleanliness.

Another specic object of my invention is to provide an artificially refrigeratedor heated bottle cooling or heating unit which is operable at low cost to quickly and effectively cool or heat a succession o( moving receptacles such as glass bottles; without danger of damaging the bottles.

A further specific object of this invention is to provide an extremely compact, durable and sanitary bottle cooling assemblage which is appli? cable as a unit to, but which may also be readily removed from, a standard bottle conveyor of either the slatted or any other type.v

Still another specic object of the invention is to provide simplied and relatively inexpensive cooling or heating mechanlsmfor bottles orthe like,` which is entirely automatic in action. and

which may also be conveniently adjusted to cooperate with receptacles of diierent sizes and shapes.l

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following vdetailed description.

A clear conceptionot the several featuresA constltuting 'my present improvement, and of the this mode ci cccung with crtmcicuy refrigerated i liquid was too-expensive since the cooling water would become polluted whenever it contacted` the wherein likereference characters designate the construction and operation of several types of bottlecooling units" embodying the invention, may be had by referring to the drawing accom- `panying andforming a part of this speciilcation sameior similar partei-inthe various views. ,V Fig. 111s a part' top and part sectional view of one o! improved bottle cooling units, showing the same applied to a lstandard'straight-linepins I8 secured to the successive slats veyors, it is not my desire or intent to thereby unnecessarily restrict the scope or utility of the improved features.

Referring to the drawing, the system to which the several embodiments of my invention, shown and specifically described herein; are especially applicable, is shown more or less diagrammaticaily in Fig. 1, and consists of a bottle washer t, a bottle filler 1, and a straight line conveyor 8 connecting the outlet of the washer 6 with the inlet of the filler 'I and having a continuous series of slats 8 the upper run of whichis normally movable in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 1 and 3. f y

The improved bottle cooling unit shown in Figs. 1 and2, comprises in general a main casing or housing I having bottle inlet and discharge guides II, I2 respectively secured to one wall thereof adjacent an opening I8, and adapted to coact with theslats 8 of the main conveyor 8 to deliver successive upright bottles I4 to and from the housing I0; a shaft or column I5 fixedly mounted centrally within the rectangular housing III and having a support I6 secured to the medial portion thereof; a series of four sprockets I1 rotatably journalled at the corners of the fixed support I6 and having driving coaction with I8 of an endless auxiliary conveyor 28 disposed in the same horizontal plane as the main conveyor 8; fixed inner and outer guide rails 2I, 22 respectively, secured to the fixed slat supports 23 of the conveyor 20 and cooperating with the guides I I, I2 to conduct the bottles I4 along a loop path within the housing III; a propelling motor 24 coacting with one of the sprockets I1 through a. like, to positively propel chain drive 25 or the the auxiliary conveyor 28 at the proper linear speed relative to the main conveyor 8; inner and outer spray pipes 26, 21 disposed above the guide rails 2l, 22 respectively and being connected to each other by a pipe 28, and to the outlet of a circulating pump 28 by nection 30; mechanism for effecting simultaneous vertical adjustment of the spray pipes 26, 21 to accommodate bottles Il of different heights and shapes; and a cooling coil 3l located within the clean liquid 32 in the lower portion of the housing I0.

` The main casing or of sheet metal or the like with a readily .removable top closure or cover 33, and the cooling coil 3l which is immersedin the clean water 32 at the bottom of the casing, may be supplied with suitable refrigerant which is preferably controlmeans of a flexible conhousing I0 may be formed lable to vary the degree of cooling. The cold water circulating pump 28 may be motor driven' as shown, and has'its inlet 3l connected directly to the liquid basin in the lower portion of the casing. The pump discharge pipe 30 is made flexible so as to permit vertical adjustment of the spray pipes 26, 21, and these pipes may be suswith a bevel gear 39 which meshes with a bevel pinion 40 secured to an adjusting shaft 6I. The shaft 4I is mounted in bearings l2 carried by the housingcover 33, and is provided with a hand wheel 43 rotation of which in either direction will cause the spray pipes '26, 21 to move either up or down. The outer spray pipe 21 may also be f provided with guide' lugs 44 coacting with fixed vertical guide rods B6 so as to prevent the pipes 26, 21 from tilting out of horizontal position. The vcooling unit may be mounted upon vertically adjustable supports or legs 56 so as to permit the conveyor 20 to be readily horizontally alined with the main conveyor-8.

During normal operation of the improved boi;-A

tle cooling unit shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and assuming the 4apparatus to have been properly associated with the main conveyor 8, the motor 24 and the circulating pump 28 should be placed in operation whenever the bottle washer' 6 and filler 1 are operating. The clean but relatively hot bottles I4 which are delivered in succession from the Washing machine 6 onto the conveyor Il, will be carried in succession between the inlet guides I I and will be deposited upon the auxiliary conveyor 28 within 'the housing I as shown inI Fig. 1. The conveyor 20 will then transport the successive upright clean bottles beneath and between the fixed spray pipes 26, 21 whereupon cold liquid spray of clean water 32 will be deposited upon the exterior surfaces only of the bottles, by the circulating pump 28. These cold liquid sprays will quickly and effectively cool ,the bottles I4 to the desired low temperature, without permitting liquid to enter the bottles, and the cooling liquid 32 after performing its cooling function will flow I into the basin at the bottom of the housing for recooling and recirculation by the pump 28. The cooled bottles I4 will eventually be removed from the auxiliary conveyor 20 and again deposited upon the main conveyor I0 by the discharge guide I2 as illustrated in Fig. 1, and will be promptly delivered in succession to the filler 1 at the proper temperature. The spray pipes 26, 21 of this as-` 4 semblage may be readily vertically adjusted at anytime so as to properly cooperate with bottles I4 of different sizes and' heights, by merely manipulating the hand wheel 43.

`Referring to Fig. 3, the modified bottle cooling unit shown therein is of simplified construction, but is likewise adapted to cooperate with a standard straight line slatted conveyor 8 having a succession of slats 8. The modified unit comprises in general a main vcasing or circular housing 68 provided with inlet and discharge guides II, I2 respectively, adapted for cooperation with the conveyor 8, and having an opening i3 therein; a shaft 6I journalled for rotation centrally of the housing 60 about a vertical axis; ai transporting disk 62 secured to the medial portion of the shaft 6I and having an inner guide rail 63 secured thereto and rotatable therewith to define an annular peripheral bottle receiving area 6l on the disk 62 lying in the same horizontal plane as the upper slats 8 of the main conveyor 8; an. outer fixed guide ,rail 66 cooperating with the revolving rail 6.3 to confine vthe movement of the bottles I4 to an annular path; a driving motor 66 for the disk 62 coacting with the shaft 6I through worm gearing 61, a countershaft 66,

i 1 at the desired low temperature.

and bevel gears 69,10; inner and outer spray and being interconnected by a pipe 13 and con-l nected to the pump 29 by a flexible pipe or tube Y 14; and a cooling coil 43| not shown, located in the liquid basin beneath the disk 62.

During normal operation oi the modied bottle cooling assemblage shown in Fig. 3, and assuming the various parts to have been properly constructed and associated with the main conveyor 8, the bottle washing machine' will again be delivering clean bottles in heated condition to the main straight line conveyor 8 from which they will be removed by the guides Il and will be deposited upon the annular revolving peripheral portion of the disk V62. The revolving disk 62 will then transport the successive bottles I4 yin upright position around the axis of theshaft 6I 'and between the spray pipes 1|, 12. While passing between and beneath these spray pipes 1l, 12, the successive bottles 4Il will again be subjected to sprays of cold liquid delivered to the spray pipes by the pump 29, and will be quickly cooled without permitting spray liquid to enter the interiors of the bottles. The cooled bottles are eventually delivered from the peripheral portion 6I of the revolving disk 62 bythe discharge guide i2 which deposits the cool bottles upon the 'main conveyor 8 from whence they are quickly delivered into the filler While the modified assemblage is not provided with means transported from the washer 6 'to the illler 1 by the conveyor 8,' it is only necessary to supply the coil 3l with heating medium such as -steam or hot water, instead of refrigerant. When bottling or packing fruit juices, it is sometimes desirable to raise the temperature of the receptacles i4 from approximately room temperature to 180 F. or higher, and this can readily be done with my improved unit. The term heat exchange as used in the claims should therev fore be given an interpretation sufllciently broad to cover any change of temperature which ma'y be eifected by the improved unit.

It should be understood that it is not desired to limit this invention to the exact details of construction, or to the precise mode of operation, herein shown and described, for various modications within the scope of the claims may occur to persons skilled in the art.

vI claim: 1. A bottlev cooling unit comprising, a casin having therein ya liquid basin and being provided with adjoining inlet and outlet guidesvassociated with a common opening, a conveyor continuously operable within said casing to transport successive bottles in upright position from said inlet to said outlet guide, spray pipes disposed above said conveyor for spraying cooling liquid against for effecting vertical adjustment oi the nozzles 26, 21,`such adjustingmechanism may obviously be readily provided.

From the foregoing detailed description it will be apparent that my present invention provides a simple, yet highly eillcient bottle cooling unit the clean but heated bottles from one portion of the yconveyor 8, and to return the bottles in cooled condition to another portion of this conveyor, and the liquid-32 which is recirculated through the cooling pipes, can be utilized over and over for a long period oi time without pollution thereof, by virtue of the fact that all of the vmechanism contained within the cooling y .unit housing may be maintained in clean and sanitary condition. The cooling action is effected- -rapidly. and continuously and by virtue of the fact that the same cooling water can be used over and over, the mechanism may be op- ;erated with maximum emciency and at minimum cost; By providing means lfor effecting vertical adjustment of the spray pipes, the improved cooling unit may be utilized to cool bottles of different sizes, shapes and heights, and the unit may be. readily attached to or detached `from the conveyor 8, and occupies very little space. 'I'he improved assemblage is so construct-'- ed that all parts thereof are readily accessible the exteriors of the bottles, a pump for circulating liquid from said -basin through lsaid pipes,

and a refrigerating coil for cooling the liquid in said basin.

2. A bottle cooling unit comprising. a casing having therein a liquid basin and being provided with adjoining inlet and outlet guides associated with a common opening, a conveyor continuously for inspection and adjustment, and that'it may be applied to most standard systems having a straight line slatted conveyor interposed between the bottle washer and lling machine. When it becomes desirable to utilizev the kimproved vbottle handling units vior the purpose oi Vheating instead of cooling the bottles il which are beingv operable within said casing to transport successive bottles in upright position from said inlet to said outlet guide, spray pipes disposed above said conveyor for spraying cooling liquid against the ,exteriors of the bottles, means for eiecting adjustment of said pipes to cooperate with bottles of different sizes, anda pump for circulating liquid from said basin through said pipes.

3. In f. combination with a receptacle washer and ller connected by a continuous main receptacle conveyor, a housing detachably associated with but laterally removed from said conveyor, said housing being provided with adjoining inletand outlet guides associated with a common opening and with .the main conveyor, an auxiliary conveyor continuously operable within said housing for temporarily removing and subsequently returning receptacles from and to said main conveyor, and means within said housing for eil'ecting the receptacles while within the housing.

4. In combination with a receptacle washer and filler connected by ar continuous main rel ceptacle conveyor, a housing detachably associated with but laterally removed from said conveyorsaidhousing being provided with adjoining inlet and outlet guides associated with a common opening and with the main conveyor,

on the auxiliaryl conveyor an auxiliary conveyor continuously 'operable- 'to closely-adjacent points on' said'main conveyor,

and meansl within said housing for effecting change in temperature of the receptacles Awhile on the auxiliary conveyor within the housing.

ARCHIE E. LADEWrG.

change in temperature of f 

